Will You Give the BlackBerry Z10 a Chance?

By Paul Kapustka

May 02, 2013, 6:31 PM —

I have to admit, that when BlackBerry introduced its Z10 smartphone, I wasn't awed and didn't see how it could possibly overcome the entrenched positions of iPhone and Android. But after reading Al Sacco's 10 Things BlackBerry Z10 Does That iPhone Can'tpost over on CIO.com, I'm intrigued. And now I think BlackBerry might have a shot.

One of the main reasons why I think so is the 10th thing that BlackBerry does that iPhone can't, which is BlackBerry Balance. I'll let Sacco explain why it's so important, especially in an era of BYOD:

"BlackBerry Balance is a technology built into the BlackBerry 10 OS that lets IT administrators create two separate personas on your smartphone: one for work; and one for personal. While Balance sounds like a feature designed specifically for IT, it also benefits users because it keeps all personal information separate from corporate data, so IT never has to access personal files - or delete them in case of a security scare. Balance couldn't be more unobtrusive for the user, so it doesn't affect the overall experience. And it provides piece of mind for both IT and Z10 users."

Judging from a quick run through of the comments on the original post, there is a lot of pent-up BlackBerry love that the Z10 is going to be able to tap into.

Paul Kapustka is the community manager for Mobile Enterprise 360, where he leads the conversation around mobile workstyles, mobile collaboration, cloud services and mobile management. A longtime journalist who has spent more than two decades covering the information technology business, Paul most recently has been focusing on mobility and how it has changed the computing and collaborative landscape. His newest project outside Mobile Enterprise 360 is a research and analysis operation called WiFi Journal. He is also editor in chief of Mobile Sports Report, which covers the intersection of mobile technology and sports business. Paul is also the founder of Sidecut Reports, a research firm that covered the emergence of 4G technology in the cellular marketplace. Prior to all that Paul has a wealth of experience at numerous trade journals, including GigaOM, Red Herring, CommunicationsWeek and Unix Today. You can contact Paul directly at paul at mobileenterprise360.com.